


anywhere but here

by deadpeach



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - High School, Childhood Trauma, Drug Use, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Smut, Jesse's a punk, Leather Jackets, Multi, Piercings, Psychological Trauma, Recovery, Slow Burn, Sojiro's an asshole, Teen Angst, Teen Romance, Yakuza, but no vamps or super powers, mentions of abuse, what if euphoria life is strange and twilight had a baby
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-15
Updated: 2020-02-24
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:19:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22730863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deadpeach/pseuds/deadpeach
Summary: 1. Hanzo and Genji had suffered under their abusive father's control for far too long.2. An opportunity presents itself at the right place and time.3. The brothers get a second chance at life, and to heal.This was purely a sequence of uncoordinated events, that happened to fall in just the right places.(aka a cheesy teen romance that the characters deserve)
Relationships: Fareeha "Pharah" Amari/Angela "Mercy" Ziegler, Genji Shimada/Tekhartha Zenyatta, Jesse McCree/Hanzo Shimada, Reaper | Gabriel Reyes/Soldier: 76 | Jack Morrison, Sombra | Olivia Colomar/Widowmaker | Amélie Lacroix
Comments: 3
Kudos: 51





	1. prologue

**Author's Note:**

> hi!!! this is my very first time writing a fan fic (and posting it). i started writing this in 2017 and now im revising and adding to it because i kinda miss it.  
> some of the new characters (Baptiste, Sigma, Brigitte, etc) arent gonna be in here im sorryy i havent been keeping up with them and their personalities and they weren't in the original plan :(
> 
> update: i drew a cute little cover for this fic but i cant figure out how to put it in the beginning of the chapter rip

Hanzo has been pampered all his life, growing up in a rich family that worked, on the surface, as a “very successful company”, one of the best in Japan, as a matter of a fact. In reality it was underground, dirty, and bloody work. 

The little boy was not responsible for anything he did except for breathing and going to school. Until he was 10 years old. His father, Sojiro, had thrown him into middle school level education with a private tutor. He began training and building him into a robot, a tool for destruction under the guise of an absolute gentleman, with a stoic disposition and patience that would impress the most disciplined monk.

He and his brother Genji were put through rigorous training, often from their father personally, despite his graying hair and withering skin. 

It was tradition in their lineage. The man had others do business for him most of the time, anyway. 

The first time Genji had complained of the work and begged for one day off, he didn’t answer Hanzo the next day when he asked what happened to his eye and why he had a bloody nose. Hanzo didn’t see Genji for three days afterward, but Hanzo did not ask why. He did not pester Genji about his injuries when his brother returned to the dojo.

Perhaps he was too afraid to.

Genji took the rigorous treatment he and his brother endured silently for years after the first time he resisted. For a while, he knew nothing else other than obeying his father. 

However, as he and his brother approached their teen years Genji felt nowhere near the same amount of fear for his father as his brother did. As he continued being pushed past his limits and boundaries, Genji only felt a growing desire to rebel.

He had come to a conclusion, and a grim one at that.

Either he let someone control him his entire life and every aspect of it, or he stopped him by force.

Genji knew that in doing what he felt was right could very well end his life, but he also knew it would be better to die his own person than live at the whim of his father.

Genji had an outburst in the middle of a training session one day, and he was promptly escorted out of the room. Hanzo didn’t see him for three days

This continued, every outburst became more frequent before it was an everyday occurance. Hanzo was beyond horrified by his brother’s actions, he assumed the worst: that Genji would soon be executed. He became a liability in the creation of the future rulers of the Shimada clan. He had angered his father more times than he could count on his hands. 

It seemed that, by some mercy of their unmerciful ruler, he had surmised that since Hanzo was the elder son, and is first in line to the throne, that the demise of Genji would cause more trouble than it’s worth. Genji stopped arriving for their private lessons. Whether by choice or force was forever to be determined.

Sojiro had grown exhausted trying to tame Genji and turned his attention to Hanzo. His final chance at a successful lineage. Hanzo knew this, and could feel the pressure of his father’s expectations under his skin at each waking moment.

Deep down in a secret place in Hanzo’s heart, he admired Genji for his bravery to deny his father. However, his brother had unintentionally put his brother in more shackles than before. Hanzo knew it wasn’t right to blame Genji, but he did.

Hanzo wasn’t like Genji. Genji had a personality of hard stone, but ever since he was young, his brother was moldable and undefined. Easy to manipulate, to abuse. Hanzo’s father slowly broke whatever solid items of his personality he had left. Disappointment. Sloppy technique. Under performing. Never going to be the master of the Shimada clan.

The shame and disappointment he felt in himself had become a constant feeling. His father tore at any ounce of confidence or individuality he had left, until there was little to his life but aiming to please his father and missing the target every time. 

He wanted to be anywhere but where he was.


	2. proposal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello friends these first few chapters are just describing what happened before the main meat of the story so they're pretty short

The Shimada brothers weren’t going to miss this opportunity.

Their father had fallen ill. It could’ve been as serious as cancer or just a minor infection, the brothers would most likely never known. It was not a surprise that they had been subjected to their father’s well-known secrecy.

There was no one else who was fit to train the Shimada brothers in the eyes of his sickly father. Their mother was no longer… in the Shimada Clan, to put it lightly. Her “removal” happened when Genji and Hanzo were hardly old enough to remember. There were not many familial connections to the brothers, except for their Grandma who they had seen only two times every year.

Sojiro knew he had to come to a decision, his list of trusted people to care for his offspring was bone dry. He did not trust two teenagers and an army of servants to run the household in his absence. Given, his trust issues may be justified considering his line of work. 

Begrudgingly, he had created a plan that only made him slightly less uncomfortable than the former option. Hanzo and Genji would stay with their Grandmother in the United States until their father had recovered. There was no room for argument or opposition.

Genji had hidden his reaction until he was in the safety of his brothers presence, who, despite his conditioning, still could not remove the sentiment he held for his kin.

Genji had practically gushed about all the things he had heard about America, his excitement was tangible and contagious, Hanzo allowing himself to feel a tinge of happiness at the prospect.

The part of him that only served his father had raged within him, horrified of leaving his father’s presence, as that’s all he knew. Another part of Hanzo had felt a feeling of hopefulness at the idea of a life without training, without fear, without his father’s oppressive thumb hammering him into the ground every day. Deep down, he desired to be a normal teenager.

He wasn’t going to miss this, no matter how much he told himself he needed to be with his father.

There were fragments of an original person left inside Hanzo. Whoever he was, or could’ve been wasn’t completely gone. 

A new beginning. A place where the only person to govern him was an old lady who most likely couldn’t lift more than 20 pounds on her own. No one to please or tell him he isn’t good enough. A place for him to find the lost pieces of himself and hopefully put together an image good enough to call his own. 


	3. departure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The brothers embark on their journey.

Hanzo and Genji were given two weeks to pack a few suitcases and small bags of their things to last as long as need be in the new country. It wasn’t much but they planned to just buy the items they were missing once they got there. Two weeks, and the brothers were sitting in airplane seats on a stuffy 12 hour flight to America.

Genji relaxed his head against the window with a sigh, rubbing his temples as he tried to ease the hangover he earned from a party the night before. The friends he gained while sneaking out at night wanted to bid him a farewell before he left, and he was feeling the effects the morning after. Hanzo on the other hand was more tense than ever. Despite this opportunity for a life that he could build himself, there were too many uncertainties that could only be put to rest through time and adjustment. However, one that persisted, and most likely will during the trip, is the anxiety of leaving his father. The man had constituted everything that happened in his life. To suddenly be out of his control, he felt as if he were a lamb, and this plane was taking him straight to the slaughter. 

When Hanzo’s attention returned to the moment, he realized that Genji had been talking for quite some time. Hanzo looked over at him and tried his hardest to pretend that he had been listening the whole time as he taps into the conversation.

 _“-It will be a very interesting learning experience brother! Have you heard all the things people say about American schools? Parties, people are making out all the time, the women!”_ Genji threw his head back and bounced his open hands in front of him twice in an exaggerated gesture, _“It’s all crazy, and we’re going to get to experience it.”_ He nudged his brother with his elbow, then he thought for a second.

 _“The American high school experience...”_ He said almost fondly, clearly finding himself to be clever for coining the name of their trip, before pressing a palm to his sweaty forehead and falling back against the cushioned seats. The headache hitting him again, harder this time, and draining him of all former energy and excitement. Hanzo replied to his ridiculous brother with a scoff.

The ideas described by Genji did not interest Hanzo in the slightest. He doubted the validity, but having no evidence against what he said, there was some small percentage of him being right. He decided not to mull over it any longer, tucking his fears and spoon-fed assumptions away until he could experience the reality.

Hanzo doesn’t remember when he fell asleep, he only knows that when he woke up his tight ponytail had become loose and his eyes burned. He looked out the window past his sleeping brother, the sky was grey; growing darker, the plane was flying high above the clouds, some of the other passengers of the plane had also fallen asleep. Hanzo checked his phone, the screen telling him they had a few more hours left. He must have been tired, considering how long he slept. He briefly turned his head to check on Genji, and his brother’s head was lolled to the side in an uncomfortable looking form. His phone sat in his lap and a line of drool ran from his mouth, creating a rather large wet spot on his shirt. Hanzo’s face contorted into a grimace of disgust at the sight. 

After a few minutes Hanzo, grew bored of being awake and pulled a book from his carry-on and tucked earbuds into his ears. Genji woke up again. Instead of talking his brother’s ear off again as he did earlier, he wiped the spit from his face and busied himself with his phone after a second or two of his brain registering what had happened and where he was.

The book and the music blaring in Hanzo’s ears had been enough to distract him from his thoughts for the most part, however his eyelids were growing heavy again after a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hanzo has air pods period


	4. arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanzo and Genji arrive to their destination, and settle in for the night at their grandmother's mansion.

Hanzo had almost fallen asleep again when the plane stopped. He could hear the shuffling of people getting up and the quiet voices of people waking their loved ones. Hanzo opened his eyes and caught a glance at the window, pitch black.

He yanked the earbuds out of his ears and stood up, stretching as much as he could in the small area. Genji followed suit, grabbing the bags he decided to sit with during the plane ride while Hanzo retrieved his overhead baggage. 

The two brothers stalked off the plane with the rest of the patrons, the herd of people making their way to the luggage claim. The sleepy passengers all waited patiently for baggage to roll their way.

***

A man in a suit and sunglasses held a sign that read “Shimada”, waiting for the brothers in front of an expensive looking vehicle. He opened the door once the pair exited the building. Hanzo and Genji climbed swiftly inside, thanking the man and leaving their luggage for him to put in the trunk. He nodded and proceeded to take the driving seat. 

The inside of the car was similar to a limo, with a divider to prevent conversation reaching the driver, a space between the front seats and the back to make room for champagne seated in ice, magazines, and speakers.

Genji’s energy had returned by the time they were in the car. He started to ramble again, eyeing the alcoholic beverage.

 _“Are you excited to see Baba?”_ he asked his brother.

 _“Perhaps, she’s a sweet enough woman.”_ Hanzo replied thoughtfully.

_“When she’s not beating your ass for knocking over the tea kettle.”_

_“I was 7.”_ Hanzo glanced at his brother incredulously.

Genji changed the subject abruptly, _“I’m excited to see her. She has like 5 cars so we can drive whenever and wherever we want.”_

_“You’re not old enough to drive here. Or in Hanamura for that matter.”_

_“Says you.”_

_“I don’t want you breaking any laws in this country, Genji. Or rules. Be obedient occasionally, for the sake of our grandmother’s heart.”_ the older brother retorted mournfully.

 _“Fine. You can drive me places, then.”_ Hanzo grimaced at the prospect.

_“That’s what I thought.”_

***

Hanzo didn’t expect his new life to be set in a small rural town on the coast of Oregon. A humble area right on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. 

The beach stretched thin along almost the entirety of one side of the town, greyish blue waves crashing against the sand. The sky, the entire town even, had a desaturated tone to it in the day time, giving the area a downright depressing aura. There was something else below the sense of dread in the atmosphere, but it was something Hanzo could not decipher, or care about in this very moment.

Hope, maybe.

The highlights of the little town featured a blue and purple glowing retro-style diner labeled “The Panorama Diner”, a standard red and white lighthouse on top of a cliff that stands high above the water, a drive-in theatre, and a park. There was a downtown close to the shore that was a little more busy-looking than the rest of the ghost town, but the stores that lined the road were all local. The town also held a thrift store, some grocery stores, fast food, a mall, etc. 

Nestled in the thick forest that framed the opposite side of the town which didn’t have a beach along it, was their grandmother’s house.

This is where their grandmother had lived for 22 years, she comes to Japan for holidays and that’s the only way Hanzo and Genji know her. Every year she visited them at least once so she could talk their ears off and give them small gifts. 

They would also talk to their grandma over the phone during a holiday or her birthday. She is kind but not docile, she was not afraid of disciplining her children, or grandchildren, for that matter.

As to why she lives in America is a mystery to the boys. Possibly the result of some witness protection program on account of their family’s shady business. Or maybe she just wanted to get away from it all, which is also a completely understandable and justifiable reason. It was no concern to the young Shimadas, however.

Her house was no doubt the biggest one for miles, sitting at the top of the hill, secluded in trees, blocked by a rusted gate, was a pastel blue and white 2 story mansion. Hanzo expected nothing less of the mother of Shojiro Shimada, the leader of the biggest empire in Japan. The driveway circled around a grassy area with shrubs, bushes, and a fountain, spewing gallons of water from the center of the pool of water. 

As the car crawled around the fountain to the front of the house, Genji described the parties he would throw here while their beloved Grandma was out. He seemed to be dead set on making it clear that he was not going to behave.

The wide double doors opened and a small, fragile, wrinkly woman with tan skin in a soft yellow sleeping gown stepped out of the mansion, and inched delicately down the large white steps. She gave her grandsons a wide, kind smile. 

The brothers could tell that she was already planning behind that keen smile what she would spoil her grandsons with and how much time she would spend with them. She couldn’t make it to the last winter break to deliver presents and she would be able to make up for lots of lost time for as long as her son was sick.

Of course she was concerned with her son and his health, but she’s at least glad that her grandsons finally have a reason to visit her for more than a few days. 

She watches with crinkled eyes as the two emerge from the car. Genji ran to her with open arms, _“Baba!”_

She reciprocated with a hug and an excited “Genji!”. The Shimada’s grandmother pecked Genji’s face with kisses until the boy whined for her to cease the assault. 

The old woman then turned to Hanzo, giving him a gentle hug, who was hesitant to return the hug on account of not being used to casual affection. After the embrace she gave him two polite kisses on each cheek.

As Hanzo and his grandma had finished their greeting, then began the usual familial verbal assault of questions. “How is school”, “You’ve gotten so tall”, “Do you have a girlfriend?”, “Where are you going to college?” the brothers answered each to the best of their ability.

The boys barely had time to become accustomed to their surroundings, as they arrived fairly late to the mansion. They at least caught a glimpse of a pool through large windows that exposed the majority of the yard. Upon seeing it, Genji gave Hanzo a knowing look.

His grandma had shown them to their rooms, where the man in the suit had already carried their luggage to, and then promptly disappeared. 

They were each sizable rooms, Hanzo’s had a place for his prized bow and sword (which would be coming in the mail since the TSA isn’t too keen on weapons in a person’s luggage). A plush king size canopy bed sat its head against the parallel wall to the door, large windows and two white end tables framing each side of the bed. It was decorated with a thick comforter and more pillows than necessary for one person. The mattress was memory foam, top of the line, nothing but the best for Mrs. Shimada’s grandsons. A flat screen television sat upon a small table against the same wall the entrance was on. The windows framing the large bed had white curtains hanging from the high panes of glass and cushy ottomans sitting in front of them, making a very appealing space to read in. There was a closet, a dresser, a mirror, a door that led to the bathroom, a laundry basket, and various decorative items, mostly imports from their home country. A comfy looking chair made for relaxing sat in one corner of the room, a small fleece blanket was laid across one of the armrests and a small pillow sat on top. Most things in the room were colored dark and medium blues. The whole room had a sharp elegance and grace that fit Hanzo’s manufactured personality flawlessly.

Genji went straight to work at customizing his room and making it his own as soon as he set his eyes on it. It had been set up nearly identical to Hanzo’s, except in the place of blue were greens of the same intensity. But Genji found discomfort in his room being like Hanzo’s. He wanted this to be his room, with little to no correlation to his past life or his older brother. 

The imported decorations that had a relation to their home country were stuffed into the closet and few were subtly, with much guilt, tossed into the garbage. Genji opened one of his suitcases, and stuck what little he could bring to the walls and on the end tables. Photos, anime posters, fake plants, and the like. It wasn’t much, but it was all he could do for now, and made the difference between his room and Hanzo’s room clear. 

Once the room was to his liking, he dropped all his clothing except for his underwear and collapsed into the fluffy double bed, sighing loudly at the sudden onslaught of comfort. Meanwhile, Hanzo had thanked whatever God that would listen that he didn’t have to share a bathroom with Genji.

Hanzo stood in said bathroom, which was decently sizable. The bathtub was tucked into the corner of the room, the toilet sat next to the tub and the sink was parallel to the door. He made his way to the sink, brushing his teeth and gargling mouthwash in attempt to wash away the smell of neglect on his breath, since he didn’t have any opportunities to brush his teeth for at least 13 hours. 

He watched himself in the mirror afterward, his baggy, tired eyes stared back at him. He observed his hair, so much of his hair had fallen out of the small hair band holding it together that his once tight ponytail could barely be called a ponytail anymore. He pulled the band from his hair and yanked at the snarls, his hairbrush sat neglected in one of his suitcases.

***

Hanzo had long since climbed into his lush bed in navy blue sweatpants and a white tank top. His hair was still damp from his hot bath only a few minutes prior, drenching the silk and cotton pillows. There were almost certainly bags under his eyes from the mismatched sleeping schedule he’d acquired on the plane. 

Tomorrow was most likely the first day he’d set foot in his school. His grandmother thought it was a bit early but Genji was eager as ever to make friends and socialize. Also Hanzo would go numb if he were deprived of any sort of mental activity for much longer, as his informal education has been suspended since the discovery of his father’s illness. Additionally, if they waited until Monday they might have to wait a few more weekdays to get registered, depending on the productivity of the staff. It was pointless to risk it. They were going tomorrow to get the Shimadas registered into the school’s system.

Both of the teens had been taught English from a young age, since they often traveled when their father had to do business in other countries. The boys also knew some Chinese, Russian, and Korean, but most other languages had been lost with memory, as their father had started leaving them home as they got older.

So Hanzo had not worried about his speech too much, despite maybe being made fun of for an accent or not knowing much of the languages idioms and sayings. He mulled over his appearance for the day, growing worried over how the other teens will react to him. Social acceptance had not concerned him before, since he didn’t interact with many people his own age. But now he would be in the same building with hundreds, maybe a thousand or more, teens. Every day. It was reasonable for him to worry. 

He hoped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I named that diner when I started this and damn I thought I was so fucking clever fjshebfd


	5. initiation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanzo and Genji get a first glance at their school.

A few roads connected to the town tapered off into the wilderness, and one of them led down a long road to a three story building with a dark maroon brick shell.

There was a bronze statue of an unremarkable man with a beard pointing to the sky, the stand under him surrounded by bushes and flowers. The statue stood halfway between the sidewalk of the road and the school. White steps lead to the entrance platform, which had three pairs of large dark doors along the wall. Matching the stairs were tall white columns, raising above the steps to support the building. The building had a few parking lots, one (mainly) for the teachers, one (mainly) for the students, and one near the football field, baseball field, and tennis courts. The architectural style of the building said that it was built maybe a hundred or two years ago, definitely not a modern design if anything.

The sidewalk that led to the steps tapered off in different directions, leading to doors on the side of the building and had a few benches along it for kids looking to lounge about outside in their free time. There were a few bushes and flowers scattered about the rim of the building, plastic items discarded in some of them.

Maybe in a different light it wouldn’t have looked so old and menacing, like an ancient warrior threatening to chew Hanzo up and spit him out like gum. But today it was all he felt when him, Genji, and their grandmother had pulled into the parking lot closest to the entrance on a crisp Friday morning. A heavy fog floated along the ground, foreboding and only amplifying the intimidating atmosphere of the building.

This is where Hanzo would be receiving his education for as long as his father is ill. Hanzo was wary of the school, but also somewhat intrigued. He had done some research on American schools before arriving, and this was not exactly what he had expected. The infrastructure could definitely use updating, and in the back of his mind he wondered how stable the building was. 

Students were milling about, lounging on the steps and whispering among themselves. Subtle anxiety and fear pricked Hanzo's spine, making him shiver slightly. He knew that this would be the biggest step in adapting to his new environment. Somewhere in the back of his mind he prayed that it would be worth it in the end. 

The brother’s grandmother shifted the car into park and turned the engine off. She glanced in the mirror at the teens in the back seat, offering a word of encouragement before the three exited the car and approached the building. Today they would hopefully pick their schedules and become acquainted with where the classes are.

The family climbed up the steps and through the large wooden doors of the school, making a beeline for the closest mostly-glass room that looked like an office. 

While they walked, Genji and Hanzo silently observed their environment. It certainly wasn’t what Genji described. Most of the teens milling about looked normal enough to Hanzo, there were no kids making out or being obscene from what he could see. Genji looked no less interested. There were some notable people in the short time they had to people watch. There were a few kids with colored hair, piercings, tatoos, and one kid had pants sagging so far that Hanzo could see his underwear. He found it to not be a very classy choice, but banished the thought, reserving most of his judgements on the fact that this was not his territory.

Although seeing that tattoos weren’t frowned upon here made the brothers a little more comfortable with their own.

A group of boys and one girl lounged by a row of steel blue lockers, wearing matching jackets and varying jeans and shoes. Their jackets were a rich indigo with white sleeves: lettermans. There were decals decorating the torso, and they each had different numbers on the shoulder. The group was generally unremarkable but the girl had Hanzo’s brief attention drawn to her since she was the only one in the crowd. She had an amber skin tone, with black side swept shoulder length hair. She had dark, sharp eyes and a pointed nose. A few locks of her hair were decorated with gold beads and there was a tattoo under her eye. She was as tall, if not taller than most of the men around her. The way they interacted gabe Hanzo the impression that she was an equal.

Hanzo had only glanced at the girl for a few seconds before being pulled into the office. As the boys grandmother began conversing with a secretary at the front desk, they talked among themselves in their first language.

“ _ So… what did you think? _ ” Genji subtly leaned his head in Hanzo’s direction, as if they were sharing a secret. Hanzo pursed his lips and thought for a second.

“ _ It was interesting. Not nearly as interesting as your fantasies, however. _ ” Hanzo replied smoothly and Genji clicked his tongue in response.

“ _ You don’t even know that yet. You only saw, like .0001% of the people here for 2 seconds. _ ” Genji retorted dramatically.

“ _ Cease your stupidity. _ ” Hanzo hissed with no malice as they were waved over by their grandmother. She and a different staff member from the secretary at the desk led them through a door behind the front desk.


End file.
